Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt and fast bowlers Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif were suspended for at least five years after they were found guilty of corruption.

Butt was suspended for 10 years, five of which were suspended. Amir was banned for five years while Asif was suspended for seven years, two of which are suspended in the ruling by an International Cricket Council (ICC) tribunal today.

British prosecutors announced on Friday the trio would face criminal charges over their part in last year's spot-fixing scandal, specifically over their actions in the fourth cricket test against England at Lord's.

Probe: Pakistan trio Mohammad Aamer (left), Mohammad Asif (right) and Salman Butt (centre) are all due to appear before British magistrates next month accused of cheating bookmakers

But team captain Salman Butt, 26,
Mohammad Asif, 28, and Mohammad Aamer, 18, are in Pakistan and there are
concerns they may decide not to come back to Britain to face charges.

The
players were quizzed last year by Scotland Yard detectives over claims
they accepted cash to deliberately bowl no-balls during the Fourth Test.

Their millionaire agent Mazhar
Majeed, 35, who is accused of accepting £150,000 to fix the actions of
players, was also charged with conspiracy to cheat bookmakers yesterday.

The ICC released a statement from Michael Beloff QC, the chairman of the independent tribunal which heard the case.

Beloff said that the tribunal had dismissed a charge under Article 2.1.1 of the ICC's anti-corruption code that Butt had deliberately batted out a maiden over.

However, they found the charge under Article 2.4.2 of the code, that the former Pakistan captain had failed to disclose information to the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit about an approach by player agent Mazhar Majeed to bat out a maiden over, proved.

Charges against Asif and Amir under Article 2.1.1 of the code were proved.

The development came on the eve of
the verdict of an anti-corruption inquiry by the International Cricket
Council. A tribunal in Doha, Qatar, will rule later today whether the
trio, who are suspended, should face lifetime bans from the sport.

If found guilty by the disciplinary
panel, Butt and Asif are likely to be banned for life. Teenager Aamer
could escape with a five-year ban.

Yesterday the Crown Prosecution Service said the three players would be asked to return to Britain to face charges of conspiracy
to obtain and accept corrupt payments and also conspiracy to cheat.
They have been summonsed to appear before City of Westminster
Magistrates on March 17. Majeed, who lives in Croydon, is also due to
appear on that date to face the same charges.

Plea: the players have been asked to return to England voluntarily, but will face an extradition attempt should they fail to return, said Simon Clements of the CPS

Britain has no formal extradition
treaty with Pakistan. Officials there, who insisted that the players are
innocent of any wrongdoing, may not be willing to hand them over to
face trial here.

Yesterday Simon Clements, of the CPS,
said the three players ‘have been asked to return to this country
voluntarily, as they agreed to do in September last year. Their
extradition will be sought should they fail to return.’